“They’re immense,” Seymour replied.
Stepping to a recess in the wall, the king dragged forth the carcase of some small animal—probably a fawn—and this he flung to the hounds; then, leaving them feeding, the party passed through the chamber into a second, much larger. This, they could see, had evidently once been used as a stable, for by the light from the Ayuti’s stone they observed that a row of stalls ran along each side. These, built throughout of stone—even the feeding troughs being of the same material—were empty save for one, wherein the great elk was chained. He greeted his master with a thunderous bellow, and Mervyn at once approached to get another view of the magnificent creature. Whilst the scientist stood lost in admiration Seymour questioned Chenobi concerning the purpose for which the stables had been built.
“My people kept elk,” the Ayuti replied. “Threescore there were, whereon rode the body-guard of the king. Muswani is the last, as I am the last of the Ayutis. But come, let us move forward again.”
Into a third chamber they went, and in this were great stone tanks, filled to the brim with clear, sparkling water.
“Marvellous!” Mervyn cried, as he examined the massive masonry of the tanks and the conduits which fed them. “What an intelligent race these people must have been! Whence comes the water?” he asked of Chenobi.
“I know not,” was the reply, “save that it comes underground.”
Out of the tank chamber the Ayuti led them, by a small doorway, into a narrow passage. This they followed for some distance, ever descending as they moved on, with the temperature steadily rising each moment. At length they emerged into another vault-like chamber, and a cry of astonishment burst from the four explorers.
Along one side of this hall a number of metal doors were set in the rough-hewn rock which formed the wall. The sight of these, together with the intense heat of the place, quickly revealed to the comrades the purpose for which the chamber had once been used. It was the ancient cooking-place of the city.
“The heat comes from the gulf of fire,” explained the Ayuti, as he flung open one of the oven doors that his friends might examine the interior.
“It’s a cute dodge,” the Yankee drawled admiringly. “I assume this rock forms the wall of the fire gulf, an’ they get their heat natural-like, without havin’ to stoke up.”